EAT

Living in PE for the past year has afforded me the time to pursue interests that I have put off for a long time and for a variety of reasons.  Along with traveling, gymming, and bagpiping, I'm also taking photography courses and language lessons, putting a major dent in the stack of books I've been meaning to read, and brushing up on some piano pieces that have fallen by the wayside over the years.  I'm certainly not looking for things to occupy my time, but when this week's Crawl took us to a new coffee shop adjacent to The Scrapbook Nook, I got the itch to start scrapbooking again.  My daughter, Liz, and I have worked on a couple of family vacation  scrapbooks and, in the course of doing so, have accumulated two huge boxes full of scrapbooking tools and materials.  I left them in NY.  So, this week's Coffee Crawl started off with a quick look through the scrapbook shop to make a list of things I need get started on my "African Adventures" scrapbook!





Meet the Owners
Philippa and Cassandra Dyson


Now, as I said, The Scrapbook Nook is adjacent to this week's Coffee Crawl site, a new shop called EAT that officially opened on Monday, Aug 22.  It just so happens that the owners of the shops are mother and daughter, Philippa and Cassandra Dyson.  Cassandra's new coffee shop venture came about as a result of her providing "eats" at scrapbooking events held at her mother's shop.  And, as one thing leads to another... Cassandra is now the proud owner of EAT, located at 152 Main Rd. in Walmer.  The shop is open Monday-Friday, 9-4, and Saturdays, 9-1 for freshly made salads, sandwiches and baked goods to take-away.  Patrons are also welcome to eat in and enjoy a LavAzza coffee at one of the tables or in the lounge area of this cheerily decorated shop.  Whether you eat in or take out, EAT has two chefs on staff along with Cassandra as the barista to quickly serve you.  There is a spacious parking lot in front that can accommodate customers for the scrapbook shop and for EAT.

Thursday's Crawlers, Gail Darne, Les Baldwin, Nomusa Nkomo, Beth Vieira, Fran and Keith de Beer, Stella and Beryl Dawson, Margaret Zoetmulder, and June Nash, were dertermined to follow the No Food On The Crawl Rule this week despite the shop's name nad the Luciano Pavarotti quote on the chalkboard.  We were successful, though the temptation was intense with all the delicious looking pastries on display.  So, we all ordered our usual coffees (and Nomusa, her tea) sans goodies and everyone got busy checking out Beth's family scrapbook that she brought along.  Nice work on the book, Beth.  I'm sure your family treasures it!  After Beth's book made the rounds, I brought out my Kindle that I've been promising to bring with me.  It kind of felt like Show-and-Tell Day at the Crawl!






This Week's Crawlers
Les, Margaret, Nomusa, Keith, Fran, June, Beth, Stella, Beryl, Gail


Once our coffees were served (and Beth and I put away our props) the Crawlers made mention of the earthquake that shook the eastern coast of the U.S. last week, and Hurricane Irene that was heading toward the U.S.  Guess it was a crazy week in NY!!!  We then talked a bit about the northern/southern hemisphere opposite seasons thing and how beautiful the northeastern U.S. is in the fall.  Autumn is my favorite season in the U.S., not just because of the changing leaves but because it's the start of the football season... American football, that is.  For those of you who know what an avid football fan I am, no worries, we get the Sunday and Monday night games televised here, though in the middle of the night.  Lou and I record the games them watch them poolsode later in the week.  So, the talk of autumn led to football which led to rugby (of course, it's SA) and finally ended up with cricket, the one sport that I totally don't get!  All this talk of sports wouldn't be complete without some trash talking about celeb singers who screw up their own national anthems at major sporting events.  Such a travesty recently occurred here in SA at the New Zealand All Blacks vs. the SA Springboks rugby match.  I can understand how such an error can be made here since the SA national anthem is actually a combination of two songs, "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" sung in Xhosa followed by "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" sung partly in Afrikaans and partly in English.  Now there's some hard-core pressure to get that right!!!

A brief discussion of the Crawlers' favorite music ensued with The Beatles and Broadway musicals topping the list.  Keith abstained from voting because he doesn't like music... except the SA national anthem... maybe he'll be asked to sing it at the next big game!  So Keith's only input at the end of the Crawl was his useless fact of the week... giraffes have the highest blood pressure of all mammals... totally irrelevant but that's the whole point, right?



A final thought ~  What my friend, Nancy in Corning, NY, says about scrapbooking: "If it's not in the scrapbook, it didn't happen."  Well, I better get down to The Scrapbook Nook, pick up some supplies for my "African Adventures" scrapbook.... and grab a cappuccino at EAT while I'm there!

Thank you to Philippa and Cassandra for combining your efforts and sharing your passions with the residents of PE.  Good luck with your new shop, Cassandra!

Until next week,

Ellen

Lavenders Courtyard Cafe

As part of our decision making process to move to South Africa, Lou and I made a visit to PE in March, 2010.  On the first day of our visit a consultant, who was showing us around town, took us to a great little cafe for lunch.  I filed the name of the place in my mental Rol-o-Dex promising myself that, should we decide to take the move to SA, I would become a regular there.  Well, you know what they say about good intentions....we've lived in PE for over a year now and, unfortunately, I haven't returned to Lavenders Courtyard Cafe.  I decided that for my daughter's last Crawl before returning to the U.S. the Crawlers should meet at Lavenders.  Good call on my part because it turned out to be Lizzy's favorite Coffee Crawl!



Leanne, Luke, Beth, Keith, Fran, Liz, June, Stella, Gail, Beryl



This week's Crawlers, Beth Vieira, Fran and Keith de Beer, Leanne Waller and her son, Luke, June Nash, Stella and Beryl Dawson, and Gail Darne met at Lavenders to bid farewell to Liz and to enjoy a cup (or two) of Masterton's Bolero Espresso coffee.  Lavenders' owner, barista, waiter, and all-around Renaissance Man, Tim Gunston, greeted us and got straight to work taking and filling our coffee orders.  The Crawlers have become expert in ordering with a show of hands for cappuccinos and black coffees....makes things a lot easier, right Tim? 



Meet the Owner - Tim Gunston

 Tim returned with our hot coffees ready to take our breakfast orders and with an apology that, since the baker was sick, no muffins were available, though croissants were just about done (how does that work?).  The "No Food On The Crawl Rule" was at risk of being broken yet again with the mere mention of croissants.  All it takes is one weakling (I think it was June or me this time) and everyone else falls into the temptation....the aroma emanating from the kitchen sealed the deal.  Better luck following the rule next week, folks!  By the way, Tim, the croissants and coffees were outstanding....kudos to you for running the show solo on Thursday without missing a beat!

 






The Courtyard Gazebo

 

Lavenders, a 4 and a half yr old family business, is located at 12 Clevedon Road in Mount Croix.  Plenty of on-street parking is available for patrons who want to come in for breakfast or lunch Mon-Sat, 9-3, or for dinner Tues-Sat from 6 pm.  The comfortable, inviting, and nicely decorated main dining room seats approx 30 people while the courtyard in the back, featuring a beautiful gazebo and lovely garden, seats about 25.  If you're planning to come for dinner, reservations are suggested as the seats fill up rapidly for what looks like an amazing menu.





Lavenders' Restroom

 
A visit to Lavenders wouldn't be complete without a trip to the restroom.  In all seriousness, the bathroom is really quite nice... uniquely decorated with a lavender theme.  Tim told me that people actually ask to take pics of it....yes, it is that cool!  My pic doesn't do it justice....I guess an advanced photography course is in order for me...and soon!  So, speaking of restrooms......a good part of the discussion around the table dealt with how different cultures refer to the necessary room.....uh....loo....uh....latrine.....uh.....lavatory, men's room, ladies' room, washroom bog....AAAAAHHHHH!!!   A brainstorming session ensued and the Crawlers came up with 28 monikers for the "facilities," most of which were appropriate for little Luke's ears.  The group got a bit rowdy (those are Tim's words) though, as the language went down the toilet!!!



Along the lines of the last statement the discussion moved on to how park rangers track elephants while on a game drive....(only in Africa, folks!!).  If you're hot on the elephants' trail some dung beetle sightings are always a bonus!!   Liz and I then shared stories of our recent weekend at Shamwari Game Reserve including a harrowing encounter with a group of elephants.  She and I decided that our guide, Headman, must "speak a little elephant" since he was able to translate grumblings and predict behaviors of these "giants of the veld."  I then told the group about the book I am currently reading, The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony.  It's definitely on my recommendation list of non-fiction.  Concluding this week's Crawl was Keith's useless (though unintentionally appropriate) fact of the week....an adult elephant's trunk can hold two gallons of water!!!  Keith, where do you come up with this stuff?


So, with our departure from Lavenders, the Crawlers bid a sad farewell to Liz complete with hugs all around.  Liz promised to join us on the Crawl next year when she visits again...all I can say about that is... are there really that many coffee shops in PE?!?  Stay tuned!!!


An update on the "Kids Who Care Coffee Shop"

   *a record amount of money was raised by this year's third graders for their adopted charity

   *Daniel won the title of "Best Waiter"- (a little bit of nepotism never hurt anyone!)

   *Table 6 won the award for "Best Decorated Table"



   *Congrats Daniel and friends for a job well done!!!

~Thank you to Tim Gunston for hosting Liz's farewell Crawl--awesome venue!!

~Thank you to Liz for all your help with posting and reformatting my blog.  I still have a lot of work to do  
   but you got me started on the right track....love you, honey.

Until next week,

Ellen




























Kids Who Care Coffee Shop

Just over a year ago, my husband and I left our home in Corning, NY to come to PE, South Africa for Lou's job.  Along with leaving family and friends, I also left my job as a teacher at Southside High School in Elmira, NY.  I have to admit that it didn't take me long to get used to not working, though occasionally the desire to stand before a classroom full of teenagers with an attitude sweeps over me. 

I hadn't stepped through the doors of a school building since June 2010 until last Thursday for PE Coffee Crawl's visit to the Kids Who Care Coffee Shop located at Theodor Herzl Primary School in Walmer.  This coffee shop, run by the 3rd grade class, was open to the public on August 11 from 9 am til 12:30 pm as a fundraiser for "The House Of Resurrection" for AIDS orphans.  One of the participating 3rd graders, Daniel Surmon, happens to be the son of PE Coffee Crawler Leanne Waller and grandson of June Nash.  When June presented the Crawlers with Daniel's request for us to attend this charity event, we all enthusiatically agreed.  What an opportunity...enjoying a cup of coffee while benefitting a good cause at the same time...a real win-win!

Well, we all met in the parking lot and entered the school through a gauntlet of eager 3rd graders bearing cafeteria trays.  Daniel led us to Table 6 which he and three friends, Lisa, Okuhle, and Gabbi, were responsible for decorating earlier that morning.  The decorations provided my Afrikaans lesson for the week as items on the table were labeled in both English and Afrikaans.  The table's orange and black motif was eye-catching and very well coordinated especially with the gold and black fish swimming in the centerpiece bowl.  The fish bowl was a great touch, kids!  And to all the groups who decorated other tables...a job well done...all your creativity and hard work paid off...the place looked tremendous!

                                                                             

The 3rd graders, under the guidance of their teachers, Penny Shaw and Victoria Waller, have adopted "The House Of Resurrection" for AIDS orphans as this school year's focus on community service.  They have been working hard all year to raise money for donations and gifts for this local charity.  It is nice to know that all the funds raised by these entrepreneurial youngsters stays in PE to benefit orphans of local AIDS victims. 

Not only did the children greet and serve the patrons of the "coffee shop," they also helped the school chef, Lizzy Mtyatyeni, to prepare the tea, coffee, and muffins!  Last week's crawlers, Beth Vieira, Gail Darne, Fran and Keith de Beer, June and Howard Nash, Leanne and Lodie Waller, Belinda Hunter, Gail Waller, Beryl and Stella Dawson, and my daughter, Liz, all kept Daniel and crew busy with 2 rounds of coffee and muffins for everyone.  Yes, we did break the No-Food-On-The-Crawl rule, but it was for a good cause and the muffins were awesome! 

 

Meet the Baristas: Lizzy and Victoria




Daniel and Mrs. Shaw

During our visit, I had the opportunity to speak with Daniel's teacher, Penny Shaw as well as the school principal, Elise Crouse.  They were both excited about the day's activities and were very proud of all the students. 

Amid all the youthful enthusiasm of the morning, the Crawlers still managed to get in some interesting table talk.  Topping the list was a discussion of exotic vacation spots including Hawaii, Mauritius, and Madagascar (where I hear all the inhabitants are quite animated.......).  The next topic was obnoxiously large shoe sizes of female celebrities.  Try saying that 5 times fast!  Which led somehow to a discussion of lemurs...how that happened I'll never know but Liz later told me that lemurs are only indigenous to Madagascar.  The conversation then transitioned smoothly into a stovetop versus electric kettle debate; Liz proudly defending the classic stovetop model and Gail Darne responding with a cheeky, "Yeah, we did that in Africa...30 years ago!"  Any thoughts on that one, readers? 

On to Keith's useless fact of the week:  The first air freshener for bathrooms was a pomegranate stuffed with whole cloves.  Talk about spicing things up in the loo!!! 

After a few hours of "coffee for a cause," the Crawl came to an abrupt end with the ringing of the school bell.  Reverting back to our school days, like Pavlov's dogs, all the Crawlers packed up and filed out of the school. 

This Week's Crawlers: Gaile D, Liz, Fran, Keith, June, Howard, Lisa, Daniel, Okuhle, Leanne, Gail W, Beryl, Stella, Beth (Not Pictured: Belinda and Lodie)

* Kudos to Penny Shaw, Victoria Waller, and their 3rd grade class for sponsoring the Kids Who Care Coffee Shop.  Thank you for your efforts! 
* A special thank you to Daniel for inviting the Crawlers...you got my vote for the best waiter. 
* Thank you to Lizzy M. for those wonderful muffins!
* Thank you to all teachers everywhere for inspiring young people to make a difference!

Until tomorrow,

Ellen

P.S. Thank you for being patient with the picture confusion for the time being.  With my improved computer skills and Firefly's guidance, the blog is under construction! 

La Vela Cafe

This week's post marks the half-year point of the PE Coffee Crawl!  It doesn't seem possible that as of last Thursday we've visited 26 coffee shops.  The response I've gotten from readers, coffee shop owners and staff, and the Crawlers has been tremendous...thank you all for your support in this endeavor. 

In an effort to introduce readers to PE while simultaneously finding my way around the city, I've tried to get to as many areas of town as possible.  For some reason, Summerstrand (the beachfront), has fallen off my radar screen.  In order to rectify this situation, and also to show Liz the beachfront, this week's crawl took us to La Vela Cafe on Shark Rock Pier, Marine Drive, in Summerstrand.  In the past year, Lou and I have been to the beachfront for the Splashfest, to watch the Ironman triathlon events, or to just walk along the boardwalk.  This area of PE is a real draw for tourists visiting in the summer (Nov. - Feb.) though "a day at the beach" is not uncommon, given pleasant temperatures, even in the winter months (June - Aug.).

Shark Rock Pier

A light breeze blowing, sunny skies and temperatures in the low 80s, and a table overlooking the pier and Hobie Beach...that describes the setting as this week's Crawlers, Stella and Beryl Dawson, Gail Darne, June Nash, Fran and Keith de Beer, Beth Vieira, Les Baldwin, Nomusa Nkomo, and my daughter, Liz, met at La Vela Cafe.  Our very personable waiter, Slumko Skeyi, and our talented barista, Thembi Mkosi, welcomed us and got straight to work filling our usual orders of cappuccinos and black coffees with LavAzza brand coffee.  A second round at the table was served while I was chatting with La Vela manager, LaDonna Goeda, who informed me that La Vela (which means "to sail" in Italian and accounts for the nautical theme of the cafe) has been open for a year and a half serving beachgoers breakfast, lunch, and dinner 7 days a week.  So, for your next trip to the beach, no need to pack a cooler or picnic basket, with La Vela nearby, just grab your towel and go!

Once back at the table, I ordered a machiato (my new favorite since Shaun recommended it a few weeks ago) for my second round.  Well, folks, when I become rich and famous and can hire a personal barista, Thembi is at the top of my list...yes, my cappuccino and machiato were that good!!! 

Coffee was actually a topic of conversation at the table on Thursday, with Fran and Keith telling us of their best and worst coffees ever...and both during their recent vacation.  Fran and Keith, correct me if I'm wrong, but the best cup was at the Coffee Farm you visited.  All I remember about the worst was that it tasted like stagnant river water mixed with instant coffee granules...all I can say is, glad I wasn't there.  More vacation stories were told by the Crawlers, including Stella and Beryl's trip to Cape St. Francis, which was extended by almost a week due to a washed out bridge, which left them stranded on an island.  With that experience, maybe they should apply to be on the next season of Survivor.  Other travel tales included "interesting" border crossings around the world.  I'm sure many of you readers have some good stories of international border crossings...feel free to share if you'd like. 

As part of our recount of out recent trip to Zim, Liz and I told of our tasting Mopani worms (yes, the same that I spoke of Lou eating a number of posts ago).  Along the topic of worms, Keith's useless fact of the week: 1.3 km of silk thread is harvested from 1 silkworm cocoon.  Keith, I can now die happy knowing that.  Thanks, buddy!  And speaking of dying...what a segue!...the talk at the table turned to wills.  My children have decided, that on the occasion of my death, my grand piano at home in NY should go to the one who wins a "play off."  I'm actually considering it.

And lastly, my son Jeff requested a vote for favorite of my children of the Crawlers.  Christopher, they haven't met you yet so it's between Jeff and Liz.  Well, the votes have been counted and Jeff wins by a landslide, only because he's got that handsome scruffy look that appealed to the ladies.  Liz, you got Les' and Keith's votes...reason...you're much easier on the eyes than Jeff is.  For Keith's pundit view on the election, see his comment on the High Tea @ Pixel post! 

What a post!...travel, politics, leisure, business...we've got it all!!  Stay tuned for next week's special posting which will highlight some young baristas in training. 

Thank you to:
~ LaDonna, for your Italian lesson!
~ Thembi, for sharing your awesome barista skills with us and for considering my personal barista offer.
~ Slumko, waiter extraordinaire!
~ To travel agents around the world, especially to Lauren

Until next week,

Ellen

This Week's Crawlers
Beryl, June, Fran, Keith, Les, Beth, Ellen, Nomusa, Liz, Gail, Stella

Meet our Waiter and the Barista
Slumko Skeyi and Thembi Mkosi

Meet the Manager
LaDonna Goeda

High Tea @ Pixel

Just after the Crawl last Wednesday (July 27) Lou, Liz and I  left for Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, thus, no time to blog about the great time the Crawlers had at High Tea @ Pixel.  So, here I am on the eve of another Crawl and just getting last week's shop posted....c'est la vie.

As I said, we all had a great time at the Crawl last week.....despite a dubious start.  Though we ended up at High Tea @ Pixel we originally planned to make a second attempt at Teddy Heaven since it was closed for renovations when we first visited it in May.  At that time we ended up at The Picket Fence Coffee Shop across the street, with a promise to try Teddy Heaven at another time.  Well, last Wednesday was the time, but, as you can see by this posting's title, Teddy Heaven was a no-go again.  I'll spare you the sordid details but let me just say that, unless you are in the market for a Christmas decoration or for any size, shape or color of teddy bear, there's no point in visiting Teddy Heaven for a cappuccino.... we will not be making a third attempt.  After narrowly escaping the locked doors of Teddy Hell, this week's Crawlers headed next door to High Tea @ Pixel as per June's suggestion.  We were greeted warmly by co-owner, Christine Logan, and barista, Bernice Ferreira.

Pixel, located at 178 Main Rd. in Walmer, is an established shoe, accessory and clothing boutique that had recently (within one week of our visit!) opened a room of the renovated house as a Tea/Coffee Shop.  As the shop's name suggests, high tea is the main attraction at High Tea @ Pixel.  Reservations are recommended for high tea which is served at 2:00 pm on Fridays and 11:00 am on Saturdays.  The shop is also open 9-4 daily for coffee/tea/cakes and light lunches.  Plenty of parking and a large back yard give the shop a spacious feel, especially after negotiating hectic Main Rd. traffic.  Along with enjoying some wonderful LavAzza coffee, patrons can also shop to their heart's content in rooms leading from the coffee shop area for clothes, accessories, shoes, wedding dresses, and kid's room furnishings.  Liz found her dream wedding dress and a killer pair of polka-dotted heels!  Unfortunately, the dress was already sold, and they didn't have the shoes in her size.  We'll be checking back in with them this coming week as a new shipment is due to arrive!  Those heels will look great on you, Lizzy!  The rest of this week's Crawlers, June Nash, Beth Vieira, Leanne Waller (not in pic), Gail Darne, Nomusa Nkomo, and Les Baldwin all got a little "window shopping" in as well.  Okay, maybe not Les who may have felt a bit out of place in the shop's pink and black decor!

Anyway, not much can top combining two of my favorite things, coffee and shoes, except when the table conversation includes two more of my favs, books and chocolate.  I really love quaint little book shops but there's something about spending a Sunday afternoon at a monster book store like Barnes and Noble, coffee in hand!  And chocolate....well, as far as I'm concerned, it's one of the main food groups!  The final topic of Wednesday's Crawl was tattoos.  I think the subject has come up at other Crawls but this time it included a "show-and-tell" portion.  Just as it was about time for the Crawlers to break rank, Christine came by offering a plate of Greek pastries!  What a way to end a great Crawl!!!

*Thank you to Christine for the treats and for saving this week's Crawl from a terrible fate!
*Thank you to Fran and Keith de Beer for sharing coffee with us via text message from Skukuza in Kruger 
   Park
*Thank you to June for suggesting High Tea @ Pixel

Until tomorrow,

Ellen





 

Meet the Owner
Christine Logan





This Week's Crawlers
Nomusa, Les, Gail, June, Beth, Liz





Meet the Barista
Bernice Ferreira